Who is this for?
Surrogacy is rarely a first choice. Most Irish intended parents arrive here after a long road — repeated unsuccessful IVF cycles, recurrent pregnancy loss, a hysterectomy, a heart or kidney condition that makes pregnancy unsafe, an absent or non-functional uterus, cancer treatment, or a couple where neither partner can carry a pregnancy at all. Surrogacy is also the primary path to biological parenthood for male same-sex couples and for some single men. Each of these is a real and legitimate route into this site.
You may be ready to move; you may be in the early "is this even possible?" stage. Either way, the practical first steps below are useful in both directions.
Are you eligible under the 2024 Act?
The Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Act 2024 is the first Irish statute to set eligibility criteria for intending parents. Once Part 11 (domestic surrogacy) is fully commenced, AHRRA pre-approval will be required. Broadly the Act anticipates the following criteria — these are the directional rules; the regulator will issue more detailed guidance once it is operational.
- Residency: intending parents must be ordinarily resident in Ireland.
- Age: within the limits set by the regulator (the Act anticipates an upper bound).
- Health and welfare assessment: a vetting process to ensure the resulting child will not be at risk.
- Counselling and independent legal advice: mandatory for both intending parents and the surrogate, before the agreement is signed.
- Medical indication: a medical reason that surrogacy is appropriate (this is broad — same-sex male couples are explicitly included).
- Genetic link: at least one intending parent must have a genetic link to the child where possible. Where neither can, double-donor surrogacy may be possible only in defined circumstances.
- Single parents: single intending parents may apply, subject to the same vetting.
The detail of these criteria is settling — the amendment bill in pre-legislative scrutiny contains 18 recommendations that may modify them. Track the 2024 Act page for updates.
The journey, in five chapters
- Decide and prepare (3–6 months). Information-gathering, talking through expectations with your partner, initial counselling, financial planning, first GP and fertility consultations.
- Medical preparation (6–12 months). Fertility workup. Where required: IVF cycles, egg or sperm freezing, embryo creation. This phase is independent of AHRRA and can begin now.
- Approval and matching (3–9 months, post-AHRRA-commencement). Independent legal advice, surrogate matching (domestic or international), AHRRA application, surrogate counselling, agreement drafting and signing, regulator approval.
- Pregnancy (9–10 months). Embryo transfer, pregnancy support, antenatal care for the surrogate, communication and travel arrangements, scan attendance where possible.
- Birth and parental order (3–9 months post-birth). Birth, surrogate's post-birth consent, parental order application to the Circuit Court (under Part 12 once commenced), legal parenthood transferred to the intending parents.
End-to-end: roughly 2 to 4 years from "we are seriously considering this" to "our child is home and legally ours". International routes can be faster on the front end (matching) and slower on the back end (recognition in Ireland).
What it tends to cost
Indicative ranges, in 2026 Irish euro:
- Domestic, altruistic: €30,000–€80,000 (medical, legal, counselling, surrogate's reasonable expenses).
- International: €60,000–€150,000+ depending on country, agency, twin or singleton, and complications. Ukraine, Georgia, the US (varies dramatically by state), Canada, and Greece are the most common destinations for Irish intending parents.
The full breakdown — line by line — is on our Costs page and in the deep-dive blog article Surrogacy Cost Ireland: A Real-World Breakdown.
Same-sex couples and single intending parents
The Act is explicit that same-sex couples and single intending parents may pursue surrogacy on the same statutory footing as different-sex couples. For male same-sex couples, surrogacy is the primary route to biological parenthood and the legal protections of the Act apply equally. The detailed considerations — egg-donor selection, who provides the sperm, social and emotional considerations — are covered in our blog: Surrogacy for Same-Sex Couples in Ireland.
The first three things to do this week
- Book a consultation with an Irish family-law solicitor experienced in AHR. Independent legal advice will be required by the Act; getting it now de-risks your timeline. Mason Hayes Curran, Poe Kiely Hogan Lanigan, and Beauchamps are among the firms with active AHR practices.
- Book an initial fertility consultation. A fertility specialist (ReproMed, Sims IVF, Beacon CARE, Galway Fertility, Waterstone Clinic and others all offer initial consultations) can scope what your medical pathway looks like.
- Talk to a counsellor. The emotional preparation matters as much as the medical and legal. Read our Emotional Journey of Surrogacy blog as a starting point.
Authoritative sources
- Citizens Information — Surrogacy in Ireland (the official plain-English overview).
- Surrogacy.ie — The 2024 Act (commencement status and what is in force today).
- Surrogacy.ie — The Legal Process (the AHRRA-to-parental-order flow).
- Surrogacy.ie — International Surrogacy for Irish Families (country comparison).
Surrogacy.ie is an editorial information service. This page is general information and is not legal, medical or financial advice. Consult qualified Irish professionals for advice on your own situation. Updated 27 April 2026.